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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Bumbershoot 2011 reawakened me to the endless possibilities of music festivals....and how alive and invigorated they make me feel.After endless amounts of working and idly wasting away in daily life, I was finally able to get out and do what I love most.

In all honesty, to follow the best sets out there would be a dream to me.... To deliver you some intense coverage and live on the open road. But I do the best I can for now, and while I'm still a poor college student, all I can afford is this small Labor Day weekend effort; hoping to sway the masses to join me in true music appreciation.

The first and last fest of the summer for me, I had a miraculous time @ Bumbershoot with some great friends. I enjoyed plenty of glorious street food and partook in enough walking to keep me fit through the winter.

Although disappointed with the lineup when it was first announced a few months prior, I quickly left behind my disapproval as I experienced new bands and learned to love the different crowds each set attracted.Among the many showcased groups, to name a few of my favorites: Champagne Champagne, Little Dragon, Starfucker(STRFKR), Das Raciest, Toro Y Moi, Yacht, Dom, and Fitz and the Tantrums.I'm sure there were numerous other shows that deserve recognition, but the ones that I saw and truly felt captivated by were the ones listed above.

Alongside the brilliant bands was the amazing weather we were blessed with this year: Hot Seattle sun for 3 days straight! Who says Seatown's one of U.S.'s most depressing cities? The weekend brought out the best in everyone, young and old.

While I mostly have nothing bad to say about this year's festival, I do have to express my one dislike. For reasons I'm unaware of currently, Bumbershoot made some vast rearrangements in the positioning of stages and where the grounds start and end; a prominent change being the main stage's location. Formally inside Memorial Stadium, the main stage has now been relocated to Key Arena.....which has it's perks and...non-perks. I suppose the new venue creates the feel of a true concert for the headlining bands. It had great amp-qualities and sheltered everyone from the blazing heat of the outdoors during the day. But there were more bad qualities than good.... Only a limited amount of individuals could populate the floor in front of the stage. Everyone who didn't get there early enough to make the floor crowd had to sit up in the arena aisle's, much further away from the stage. My best friend was quite upset when she learned that she wouldn't be able to be in the primary crowd cheering for Macklemore during his Sunday set. When the boy in question and myself emerged from the long lines waiting to get in from outside, we were greeted by a frazzled security woman who proceeded to yell at us if we didn't find a seat or leave. When we asked her how to get down to the floor, she simply yelled, "No! You can't go down there!" and continued to fight off other angry Bumber-goers who had expected a much closer performance. Simply put, it just didn't feel like Bumbershoot.

I wasn't too upset; I've seen Macklemore enough times. But the sheer impact of the hectic environment of Key Arena turned me off from the entire show and I quickly escaped to the more familiar festival grounds.

Getting into Fitz the next day wasn't nearly as horrid. I waited in line to be on the floor and was front and center for their performance. But there was definitely an elongated wait involved to be one of the privileged few to get spat at by Noelle and Michael during their vocals. Nevertheless, I felt their set was worth it. They owned the night and brought the arena down with MoneyGrabber.

Despite my displeasure with Key Arena, 2011's fest was one to remember. I don't know if I'll get to partake in 2012's Bumber events, but if this had to be my last for a while I feel more than satisfied.

//.rapt's Bumbershoot 2011 Highlights//

I happily scored at Flat Stock this year. MGMT obviously wasn't apart of Bumber 11's lineup, but after seeing this galactic wonderment I couldn't resist purchase.

I also stumbled across some great items in the indie market that managed to follow me home.

On BUMBERSHOOT's main website, you can customize your own schedule and check out what else is in store for you on 9/3/11, as well as the rest of the weekend in the likes of Comedy, Performing Arts, Words & Ideas, Theatre, Spectacle, and Visual Arts.

I'm personally enthralled to see Little Dragon, STRFKR (StarFucker), and Brite Futures (formally known as Natalie Portman's Shaved Head) tomorrow. I've seen NPSH back in their prime in 2009... These three bands/artists should be the highlight gigs of the day for me..

I'll also be roaming Flatstock for hours, the many merch stands, and the Thai Food tent. Because what's Bumbershoot without Asian street food?

This is the first Music & Art Fest .rapt has covered since.......Bumbershoot 2010? I might weep. Not to worry, I'll be covering much more in the future.
I could only stay away from .rapt for so long.... A fresh quarter in college is starting this month and my plans for permo-Californiacation come this winter are still underway! There's much life to be discussed, lot.

In the meantime, those of you attending Bumbershoot's weekend-long events alongside me, let's endure an eruption of Galactic Bossonova good times and hear some great music.